Today the Republicans are hollering for Sen. Reid's removal from office about candidate Obama for saying, "light-skinned' African American 'with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,'". Now, Sen. Reid has apologised to the President and President Obama has accepted his apology.
The rationale the Republicans are using is because Sen. Trent Lott made a racially charged statement in public about Strom Thurmond, the nation would have been better off if Thurmond had won the presidency in 1948. Thurmond was an ardent segregationist and the Democratic governor of South Carolina when he mounted his third-party campaign. Lott later apologised and he resigned as Senate leader less than two weeks later. Lott resigned from the Senate in 2007. Reid is from Nevada, Lott from Mississippi.
Republicans are crying foul because they see this a double standard, yet if you put the two in context they are no where similar, the intent's completely different.
What Se. Reid said is in fact true, President Obama is light-skinned and he does not speak with a Negro accent. If we apply the same standard to Sen. Lott, that he honestly believed that Sen. Thurmond would have made a better President as a segregationist, then this is indeed a terrible thing to say to all Americans, Negroes especially.
Lets be real here, if Mr. Obama spoke like some rapper gangsta do you really think he would have been elected? Of course not. Impressions are everything. Personally I don't know what Sen. Reid had to apologise for.
Look, we are all racists in one form or another. It does not matter what color we are, what our heritage is, we as people tend to live and associate with those of 'our kind'. Sure there are exceptions, but not that many. Blacks aren't thrilled with Caucasians, Cubans don't like Mexicans, Mexicans don't like Spaniards. The list goes on and on. I don't know, maybe it is the word Negro? To be honest, growing up in the South, they were Coloreds. The "N" word was reserved for use by uneducated folks, both Negro and Caucasian. First it was Colored, then Black, then African-American. Honestly I choose not to keep up. As long as someone is going to call me a 'white guy" instead of Caucasian, then I will choose my choice of terms. You cannot expect respect unless you are willing to give it. Let me put it this way, how ridiculous this all is. Tiger Woods is half Thai and half Negro, so what is he? Negro. Why Negro instead of Thai? Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers is half Korean and half Negro, so what is he? Negro. Why Negro instead of Korean? Who makes up these rules? The whole concept, system is racist. What it boils down to is this, if you are not perceived as anything but Caucasian, you are something else. As I recall, in Louisiana if you were 1/32 Negro, you were in the eyes of the state a Negro.
So what of the Cuban baseball player? He looks like an African American, but we are insulting HIS heritage by pigeonholing him. He's a Cuban-American just as much as a Cuban of Spanish decent, right? The thing is we don't see him as such.
As far as Blacks or African-Americans are concerned, I refer them as Negro. It simplifies the process without the possibility of offending anyone on rational grounds. After all, what is the Spanish word for black? Negro.
My preference is to call anyone who is not Caucasian a POC. Person of Colour, if we are to segregate our society as we do. When filling out a Federal questionnaire that has racial questions, I refuse to answer as it has nothing to do with anything.
Nothing gripes me more than listening to talking heads on TV saying, well this percentage of Blacks will vote this way or Hispanics that way. That to me IS racist.
The new Tea Baggers, Tenthers and Birthers are all racists. ALL I SAID. They won't come out and say it, but listen to their platforms. It's the same states rights argument, repackaged. Look at the kinds of people who flock to these groups, ignorant white trash who either don't or won't use their own brains. By their own admission, they are all white.
My own brother is a Tenther/Tea Bagger. He's is teaching his 14 year old son to be a sniper just in case. In case of what? Just who is he going to shoot? We know full well who.
So instead of complaining about a double standard, especially since by his resignation the Republicans would be getting their wish, killing off any hope for any reforms the President is asking Congress for. The Republicans have gone on record as saying they want the President to fail. Now why would they want that, after all, aren't they American's too?
The President made a profound statement last week about ending partisanship, instead practicing citizenship. Good words to go by.
OBTW, I am speaking for myself.
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